APW 06-01299300 Hardware Architecture Reference Platform Microsoft HARP Chassis

APW 06-01299300 Hardware Architecture Reference Platform Microsoft HARP Chassis

The APW Electronic Solutions 06-01299300 is a Hardware Architecture Reference Platform (HARP) chassis developed under the Microsoft Hardware initiative. This benchtop enclosure was designed to serve as a standardized hardware development and reference system, providing a multi-slot card cage for plug-in processing and communications boards. The front panel features an LCD display, eight numbered function buttons, a DC Power On/Off switch, and a Reset switch, indicating the platform was intended for active development, testing, and evaluation use. Two Rockwell Scientific NGI-Modem-XER1 Rev A OFDM modem cards are installed in the card bay and are included with the unit.

Specifications & What's Included

• Manufacturer: APW Electronic Solutions
• Model Number: 06-01299300
• Platform: Hardware Architecture Reference Platform (HARP) — Microsoft Hardware
• Form Factor: Benchtop / desktop chassis
• Front Panel: LCD display, 8 numbered buttons, DC Power On/Off switch, Reset button
• Card Bay: Multiple plug-in slots; CompactPCI / VME-style card form factor
• Rear Panel: Large ventilation fan grille, four expansion slot covers
• Included Cards: 2x Rockwell Scientific OFDM Modem cards
• Included Card Part Number: NGI-Modem-XER1 Rev A
• Card Features: Multiple SMA RF connectors on front panel, two large heatsink-mounted ICs per board, DB-style I/O connector

Applications

The Hardware Architecture Reference Platform (HARP) was a Microsoft-initiated program in the late 1990s and early 2000s designed to create standardized, open hardware development platforms for communications and embedded systems research. HARP chassis like this APW unit provided a structured environment for developing and evaluating plug-in processing, signal processing, and communications cards — particularly in wireless, modem, and DSP application areas. The Rockwell Scientific NGI-Modem-XER1 OFDM modem cards installed in this unit are high-speed orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) communications modules, the type used in advanced wireless and broadband research platforms of that era. This type of system would have been found in telecommunications research labs, defense and aerospace communications development environments, and university engineering programs working on next-generation wireless standards. Today these platforms are primarily of interest to researchers, collectors of early broadband development hardware, and engineers seeking compatible OFDM modem cards or spare chassis for legacy system work.